Talking to kindy kids

Children’s Voices: We sit down upstairs and look at a book. And then we read the stories. And if we can’t read, we just look at the pictures. And we also play games up here. We need to learn about the colours. That’s red, my favourite pink, grey, blue. I maybe learned about everything in the class.

In the block area. I just built some castles some buildings, build something not really high, or they will fall over because it’s too high.

The home corner. I can play dress ups. I can be Ariel the mermaid, because it feels like I’m a mermaid.

I don’t need any help. I can put it on myself.

They make me get some ideas.

I can make hot chocolate. Need just to get the hot chocolate out of here. It’s not a real needle. It’s just pretend.

Voice Over: Other places I like to learn.

Children’s Voices: Outside, the sandpit, and the monkey bars.

The making area. I make things. Boxes and tape. Another piece sticks onto here, and it stays.

Voice Over: Ways I like to learn.

Children’s Voices: I make things. I made a castle out of the good box. This is what the box I made a castle out of. That’s what that box looked like. I wanted to put a flower in it, just make it look a little good. Well, that box gave me that idea. Yeah, because it looked like a castle was waiting to be made on it. Castle is the one I was very, very proud of. It looked beautiful.

We just work as a team, because you have to plan what you’re going to make in your head. And it takes lots of hard work. This is the thing we made last week. It’s a car wash. They brought in a big box. And this is the big box. And it took lots of work.

Voice Over: People who help me learn.

Children’s Voices: Mum taught me.

My friends. Frankie, Saskia, Millie.

I like to just listen to mummy and daddy reading it to me.

The teacher will just tell me.

I just copied my sisters reading.

Voice Over: Things I like to do.

Children’s Voices: Why I mostly like swinging is because I can almost touch the roof.

I like to read books.

I like drawing.

And getting messy, not what the teacher said.

And pretending.

We’re being aliens in spaceships. For the [INAUDIBLE] is the spaceship, and the tunnel is where we get into the spaceship.

We’re aliens and the chickens can’t eat our alien faces.

Yeah. We do Chicken Alert!

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

We asked kindy children how they think learning happens. Their answers were varied and insightful. The children identified that using their bodies – through listening, watching, talking and moving – was one of the most important ways to learn. They also talked about how using their imagination and working in teams improved their learning experiences.

The children’s thoughts on learning were filmed as part of the Listen! 200 Children’s Voices research project. The Griffith Institute for Educational Research and the department’s Metropolitan region conducted the study which focused on the importance of listening to children’s ideas about their education. You can view more of the videos here.